Job Discussion Forums

[ChinaMovieMagic]

BELOW was written by an Indian. It can be useful for developing a sense of perspective, especially for folks who have a "bad China day." The grass isn't always greener.

http://prayatna.typepad.com/education/2004/06/higher_educatio.html

Higher Education Sector - an informal comparison between China and India

<<Again, most of the English teachers tend to be young people, people who have just finished the University in their home countries and looking for some experience/adventure. In Sichuan (Western China), they would make about 3000 RMB in a University or Private school.... The motivation � when you talk about the younger people, It is what drives young people anywhere in the world � fun, adventure etc. China is probably the fun�nest� place to be at the moment. As a young foreigner, you are someone special in China and you get a lot of attention. Girls love you. You can travel on the cheap (China is very traveller friendly even for a girl travelling alone), enjoy some of the greatest food and generally have a good time.

As someone who has lived in both India and China, I would say that in India the social restrictions would not be appealing to this sample group. Imagine the fuss if a foreign teacher in a traditional university town like Mysore starts dating or living together with a local girl. The Chinese as a society are very pragmatic about these things. Also, it is tedious (for a foreigner) to get a work visa in India. In China, the local city government can issue it, usually within days of applying.>>>
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http://scottsommers.blogs.com/taiwanweblog/2004/04/the_myth_of_the.html
The Myth of the Adventurous English Teacher

The Problem

A complete explanation of the phenomenon of English teachers must create understanding for at least the following points.
a) The large and seemingly endless number of Anglo-americans who are leaving their homes.
b) The sudden and rapid expansion of this movement since the late 1980's
c) The fact that they move almost entirely to those places in Asia where English teaching jobs are available without special training, the income is reasonably high and the standard of living is comparable with their mother country.
d) The generally accepted speculation that English teachers in Asia are primarily liberal arts and humanities graduates.

Problems with the Adventure Hypothesis

The 'English-teacher-as-adventurer' hypothesis is summed up very well in a comment by Clyde Warden.

People who are attracted to an alternative life style (that is not the MBA or professional law defined life of the U.S.A.) will be open to moving over to Taiwan. These people, due to their life style choice, were not mainstream in the U.S. to start with, and using mainstream measures, like income, leads to the wrong conclusions.


The Adventure Hypothesis (AH) is problematic for many reasons.